TACOMA MAN SENTENCED TO 8+ YEARS IN PRISON FOR DRUG DISTRIBUTION CONSPIRACY
Defendant Conspired to Distribute Large Quantities of Heroin, Cocaine and Meth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 16, 2007

CARLOS McPHIE, 34, of Tacoma, Washington, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 100 months in prison and five years of supervised release for Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine, Methamphetamine and Heroin. McPHIE was arrested June 1, 2006, following a lengthy investigation with court approved wire-taps. The investigation was dubbed “Operation Garage Sale” because McPHIE sold drugs from his garage. McPHIE pleaded guilty on September 29, 2006. He was sentenced today by U. S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton.

Other members of the same conspiracy previously sentenced include Eduardo Gomez-Ramirez, 26, of Kalama, Washington, who was sentenced to 60 months in prison. Gomez-Ramirez picked up drugs from ring members in Tacoma and distributed them in Southwest Washington. A search of Gomez-Ramirez’s apartment revealed not only cocaine, methamphetamine and cash, but ten cellular phones. Gomez-Ramirez’ roommate was still wearing an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet as part of his pretrial release on a drug case in Nebraska.

Manuel Bravo-Geraldo, 24, of Sea-Tac, Washington was sentenced to 37 months in prison. In Bravo-Geraldo’s apartment investigators found cocaine, methamphetamine, cutting agents, scales, packaging materials and more than $40,000 in cash hidden in the oven.

Thomas Mendoza-Aguilar, 25, was sentenced in August 2007, to ten years in prison and five years of supervised release and his wife Rosalva Villavicencio-Chavez, 23, was sentenced to 37 months in prison. When agents searched the couple’s apartment they found cocaine, methamphetamine, cutting agents and packaging materials as well as $3,000 cash hidden in a rice bag. Rosalva Villavicencio-Chavez, who was eight months pregnant at the time, was carrying a kilo of cocaine hidden under her clothing.

This was an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation, providing supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved. The case was investigated by DEA and the Washington State Patrol, Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, Tacoma Police Department, and the Thurston County Narcotics Task Force.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Thomas and Vince Lombardi.

For additional information please contact Emily Langlie, Public Affairs Officer for the United States Attorney’s Office, at (206) 553-4110.